The Big Ten's long title drought could finally come to an end this season, as the conference is loaded with potential national championship contenders. While all eyes are on the Michigan schools, Purdue and unbeaten Nebraska, No. 11 Illinois offered up a reminder that they belong in that conversation this week.
Although the depth of the Big Ten may not be as great as we previously thought, the Fighting Illini demonstrated why they belong in the upper class with a big win over No. 4 Purdue on Saturday behind a 46-point explosion from freshman Keaton Wagler. The loss was the second of the week for the Boilermakers, who figure to drop in the upcoming AP Top 25 poll. But how will that result and other key games from the past seven days impact the rankings?
Projected AP Top 25 After Illinois Takes Down Purdue
1. Arizona Wildcats
2. UConn Huskies
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Duke Blue Devils
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
6. Gonzaga Bulldogs
7. Houston Cougars
8. Iowa State Cyclones
9. Michigan State Spartans
10. Illinois Fighting Illini
11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
12. Purdue Boilermakers
13. BYU Cougars
14. Kansas Jayhawks
15. Arkansas Razorbacks
16. Virginia Cavaliers
17. Vanderbilt Commodores
18. Florida Gators
19. North Carolina Tar Heels
20. Alabama Crimson Tide
21. Clemson Tigers
22. Louisville Cardinals
23. Saint Louis Billikens
24. Miami (Ohio) Redhawks
25. St. John's Red Storm
Illinois makes a statement against Purdue
Few players have been a bigger surprise so far this season than Wagler, an unheralded recruit who has nevertheless made his mark as the Fighting Illini's starting point guard. Purdue had no answers for Wagler on Saturday, as he knocked down nine 3-pointers as part of a 13-for-17 shooting day to deliver the biggest win of the season for Illinois.
The result should help Brad Underwood's team get back into the top 10 and will put them back on the radar as a true national title threat. The defeat was the second of the week for the Boilermakers, who were knocked off by a last-second buzzer-beater at UCLA on Tuesday and will likely fall outside the top 10 next week.
UNC stops the bleeding against Virginia
An ill-timed defensive slump raised unwanted questions for North Carolina, which had been struggling to re-establish its rotations after the return of Seth Trimble from an arm injury. But blowing out Notre Dame earlier in the week snapped a two-game skid for the No. 22 Tar Heels, and they rode the momentum of that game to their most impressive road triumph of the season: a five-point victory on Saturday at No. 14 Virginia.
The defense remains a work in progress for the Tar Heels, who gave up 80 points even in the win, but beating a top-15 team on the road is a great result for a group that got swept during their California trip a week earlier. With a full week of rest before Saturday's tilt at Georgia Tech, Hubert Davis should have plenty of time to get his team extra practice work to clean up their defensive issues with the first matchup against No. 5 Duke looming on Feb. 7.
Texas Tech blows open the Big 12 title race with win over Houston
Most experts had pegged the Big 12's title race as a slugfest between No. 1 Arizona and No. 6 Houston, with No. 9 Iowa State lurking in the shadows. But no one told that narrative to No. 12 Texas Tech, which made a big statement by putting up 90 points on one of the country's best defensive teams in a win over the Cougars on Saturday afternoon.
Despite getting 42 points from Kingston Fleming, Houston had no answer for the Red Raiders' offense, which saw J.T. Toppin score 31 points to lead the way among four double-digit scorers. Texas Tech now can add a home win over the Cougars to their neutral-site win against Duke in December as evidence that we shouldn't forget about them in both the Big 12 race and the national title conversation.
NC State gets a huge victory at Clemson
Few ACC teams were as disappointing to start the year as NC State, which was ranked in the preseason but squandered numerous non-conference opportunities to help themselves in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Fortunately for Will Wade's team, the ACC is on the upswing and will offer more chances to build a March Madness case, and the Wolfpack took advantage of one by going on the road to beat No. 18 Clemson 80-76 in overtime.
The victory snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Tigers, who had been off to a 7-0 start in conference play. Getting a road win against a quality opponent in league play could pay huge dividends for NC State, which consolidated their gains by adding another road win at Pitt over the weekend to continue their climb back towards the Top 25.